because while some truths lend themselves to equations, others are best described in verse

lying

hidden below the city where
words sound hollow,
your promises reverberate
off the underside of my
cheekbones, slip past the left
internal jugular and graze
the nerve sheath tying my eyes
to my ability to reason. i blink twice,
blankly, flounder a little on
the stonework through which our
footsteps echo, trying to connect
to the back of my head and that
tiny spot of cortex recognizing
truth from shadows; a place where
secrets were made to be kept.

Oh wow.. this was just plain brilliance!!!
You’ve characterized a lie so beautifully that it doesn’t appear all that bad..
Besides, like you said, it’s we that make the decision anyway.. in that tiny thing called cortex, where we distinguish between the blacks and whites, the rights and wrongs..
I think this was very artistically done by you! Awesome!

You have an amazing talent. The way you weave your words caused me to dance in thought with you. Have lost, half intrigued, sprinkle with admiration, you have done something incredible here. I absolutely love your medical language here. I really enjoyed your poem.

thanks so much, noxalio; i think the notion i had in mind with the “truth from shadows” was not so much one of opposition (although that could also be argued, as you point out) as one that the truth, somehow, should stand out from amongst the rest, have a bit more shine to it maybe. not literally of course (since oft times truth is much uglier than her sisters, no?). 🙂
anyway, appreciate the comment, and glad you liked the piece.
cheers!
jsl

ah, truth (and ugliness – or in fact beauty – two, out of first three of Adler’s Great Ideas – third of the triplets being ‘goodness’ – regarding which i’ve often wondered why with such a rich language as English there’s not a ‘better’ word for … hmmm) … often in tension with their respective compliments … as certainty and doubt can be in ones resigned toward empathy such as, ahhm, me, (and maybe, always should, for good measure or if you have a penchant for a certain amount of angst or some such absurd sentiment – ha!) …

Joanna, i like your poetry and am glad to have stumbled upon some of it here. i look forward to more … soon?

hmm. you know, i think i do have a penchant for a certain amount of angst… 😉

“truth” has come up a lot lately in poetic circles ’round here. beginning to think poets in general cradle the concept with gentle ambiguity– as if she were a glass -spun courtesan and we’re not quite sure yet what to make of her.

i’m always, glad to hear your thoughts, noxy, and to check out your poetry likewise. if you’re looking for more from me, the most recent post is “Frozen,” which you can find on the homepage here. looking to add another piece in the (very) near future.

as far as photography, i have the page on Flickr, which there is a link to at the bottom here somewhere as well, and also at imagekind.